In our earlier patent application, PCT Patent Publication No. WO 98/53761 entitled “A Prosthesis and a Method Deploying a Prosthesis” there is disclosed an introducer for a stent graft which retains the stent graft so that each end can be moved and released independently during the process of endovascular deployment of the stent graft. This device requires that a number of actions be taken in a particular consecutive order to place a stent graft in the required position in the vasculature and then release one end of the stent graft and then another end and if required, between the release of each of the ends, the placement of a branch stent graft into a side arm of the stent graft. These features and other features disclosed in PCT Patent Publication No. WO 98/53761 are incorporated herewith in their entirety into this specification.
It is desirable that the set of sequential actions necessary to release the stent graft at the desired position in the vasculature be undertaken in the required order and that there be less chance for operator error during such a deployment.
It is the object of this invention therefore to provide a deployment device which is arranged to introduce, deploy and release a stent graft by a series of sequential actions.